Review: Three Women and a Boat by Anne Youngson

Meet Eve, who has departed from her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia: defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, suddenly vulnerable as she awaits a life-saving operation.

Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Sally and Eve embark upon a journey through the canals of England, guided by the remote and unsympathetic Anastasia. As they glide gently - and not so gently - through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of canalboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds.

Disarmingly truthful and narrated with a rare, surprising wit, Three Women and a Boat is a journey over the glorious waterways of England and into the unfathomable depths of the human heart.

REVIEW

I’ve always loved canal boats - the beautiful landscapes, the gentle, romantic, carefree way of life. I was lucky enough to holiday on one some 14 years ago and it more than lived up to expectation. So it’s safe to say that I jumped at the chance to read Three Women and a Boat.

Eve and Sally are two strangers at turning points in their lives- Eve has just lost her job and Sally has left her husband. They meet purely by chance down by the canal where they encounter the indomitable Anastasia and her beloved canal boat The Number One. Eve and Sally need a break. Anastasia needs to stay on land for a while, but her boat needs to travel to Chester for a service. A plan begins to form that will take them all a voyage of self discovery, the journey of a lifetime. 

This isn’t a short read. We follow Eve and Sally for their entire canal trip, past every tree, round every bend and through every lock. We meet all of the people they meet - both the tourists and the quirky characters that live their lives on or around the canal. We explore every village they stop at, dine at every pub. And I loved every second of it. It’s a relaxing, soothing read and one that is well worth savouring. I read this whilst on jury service and it was perfect for whiling away the hours of waiting around - of which there are a lot!

To anyone thinking that it sounds a bit twee, a bit ‘Canal Journeys’ with Tim and Pru West, it is so much more than that. It’s an exploration of character, and of a way of life so different from our own. For anyone wanting to escape the everyday - which I think we all do at the moment - I would absolutely recommend this book.